Wednesday, 30 September 2015

Sunday, 27 September 2015

I am a keen coffee drinker, I have at least a cup a day and usually start my day with a coffee. So when Small Batch invited me to one of their coffee courses I jumped at the chance. Small Batch is a popular coffee brand in Brighton & Hove. Anyone that lives in the area & drinks coffee will be familar with their coffee & logo. There are eight Small Batch coffee shops in total and their coffee is also sold in other cafes and pubs throughout the city, an indication of its popularity!

Monday, 21 September 2015

A few weeks ago I was invited to attend the 'Asda Meat Up', an event for Brighton bloggers to celebrate burgers in connection with National Burger Day. After meeting at the station we were whisked off in a bright yellow bus to an undisclosed location! Actually, it was a lovely house complete with jazz band, chefs, cocktails and food galore all courtesy of Asda. The evening was fun, full of mingling, eating and drinking (probably too much)!

I don't eat meat so wasn't too sure if the event would be approprate for me but I didn't need to worry as the vegetarian selection was ideal with an abundance of halloumi, aubergine, onions, avocado, lettuce, tomato, guacamole, mozzarella and portobello mushrooms. Weren't we spoilt! There was also a big salad selection and for dessert, Eton Mess, which I haven't eaten in ages, yum! The burgers were made on a bbq in the garden and we could choose what combination we wanted. I have eaten halloumi and mushroom burgers more times than I can count but the combination I had that night was one of the best burgers I've ever tasted.

The Perfect Vegetarian Burger consists of:

- Grilled Halloumi

- Avocado

- Fried Red Onion

- Squeeze of a Lime

- Tomato Slices

- Bread Roll, slightly toasted

The combination of halloumi, avocado and tomato sounds a bit mushy but is absolutely delicious (see first photo)! You can also make it as a sandwich or wrap. Try it out even if you aren't a vegetarian :)

Sunday, 20 September 2015

Friday, 18 September 2015

Our Seaside Baby, the blog, is one year old today! Hasn't time flown by. In some ways it feels like it was just yesterday. In other ways it seems like I've been blogging for years! I thought I would include a little update, some stats for those that might be interested and a list of my highlights!

BLOGGING STATS/FACTS

Number of blog posts in past year: 141! Number of page views: 80, 749 Rankings: 138 on the Parent Blogger Leaderboad, 82 on Trips100, 489 on Foodies100 & 637 on Tots100. Hoping to make it into the top 500 of Tots some day!Klout Score: 63Topics I've written about: A lot of toddler related activites, days out, letters to my baby, recipes, travel, politics, gardening, blogging updates, photography and separation.My five most popular posts:The ideal kitchen, A New Linky: My August Photo, Yoga, My Experience of Britmums Live 2015, Six months of bloggingSocial media followers: In one year I've gained nearly 7000 social media followers including 3670 on twitter :)Conferences I've attended:Workfest and BritMums LiveBlogging events: Gosh, I've been to so many of these now. My first was a craft event, followed by many more smaller ones here and there and then two big conferences. Brands I've worked with: Many local brands including Stanmer House, Brighton Wheel, Brighton Dome, Lift Personal Yoga, Sea Life Brighton, Drusillas Park, Rialto Theatre, Brighton Museum, as well as national ones such as Degustabox, Braun, House of Fraser, Darlo, Panasonic, Oxotot and Toot the tiny Tugboat. I gained sponsorship for Britmums Live from Mrs Robinson's Store and GreenFrog Botanic. This month I became a Parragon book buddy!Bloggers I've met: Too many to list here but I've loved meeting and getting to know so many lovely bloggers :)

Having the freedom to write about any topic. I've written about so many things but I've enjoyed writing the letters to my little boy the most :)Being part of #SaveSyriasChildren, a campaign led by some amazing & very organised bloggers in response to the refugee crisis. Seeing my Instagram feed that morning with photos of children carrying 'It Could Have Been Me' sign along with the hastag being the number one trending topic on twitter was overwelming. I was amazed by how many bloggers can come together so quickly to promote the work of Save the Children. I hope I and all the other bloggers made a tiny bit of difference to those affected. Attending Workfest, gaining so much inspiration and learning so many things!Going to Britmums Live. I wrote about my highs and lowshere. Discovering so many amazing blogs!Last but not least, meeting so many wonderful bloggers! I've met many in person and some only online. There are too many to name but I'm sure you know who you all are. When I wrote my post on separation I was really unsure about doing so but got so much positive feedback and support from fellow bloggers, not just at the time but to this day. A BIG thank you to those bloggers, I appreciate you more than words can say! I still have so many blog posts to write, ideas about making little improvements here and there, exciting projects I want to start and hope I will continue blogging well into the future :)

Wednesday, 16 September 2015

Sunday, 13 September 2015

Recently I have been reviewing the Organic Babies 'Hello Baby' Boy Gift Set by the Green People. The Green People are known for their organic ingredients and fantastic range of quality products. 90% of their range is certified by one or more of the following bodies: the Soil Association, the Organic Food Federation and EcoCert. The Green People never use aggressive ingredients or synthetic chemicals in their products and they never test on animals. What's more, they are a local company close to Brighton so a bonus for me.

Friday, 11 September 2015

Yesterday I met a friend and her little one and we had a little stroll through some nearby woods. It was a lovely sunny hot day and I love the dappled sunshine coming through the trees in this photograph. I've said before that living so close to the centre of Brighton & the coast means there isn't much greenery near to us but then there is plenty in the surrounding Sussex area. There is something special about being so close to nature, don't you think? Do you have any woods near you?

Wednesday, 9 September 2015

Tuesday, 8 September 2015

I was recently nominated by the lovely Catherine at Mama vs Teacher on the 'I am the Mum who...' post so here is mine. I am the Mum who...kisses my two year old a trillion times a day. He's got very chubby cheeks so I can't resist!I am the Mum who... has a pretty relaxed attitude to parenting.I am the Mum who... loves watching my little boy develop, grow and learn all these amazing things but at the same time misses the baby stage (see photo)!

Sunday, 6 September 2015

Saturday, 5 September 2015

I'm sure many of you have seen the tragic image of three year Aylan Kurdi, his poor little body washed up on a Turkish beach. He and his family had fled the violence and destruction in Syria hoping for a better life. Instead he, his brother Galip and their mother Rehan drowned after their boat capsized. The photo of him lying on the shore is heartbreaking and haunting. I have it in my head now along with that deep dark sinking feeling of sorrow and sadness for that little boy, with my own little boy just a few months younger. More could have been done and more should have been done.

The plight of refugees is a subject close to my heart. I was in Syria some years ago just as the conflict was beginning and have spent several years working on refugee related projects. In my previous job I worked on a big international project which included several Syrian co-workers. A couple of them could no longer work because their towns had been extensively bombed and reduced to utter rubble, they had nothing left. Search for the city 'Aleppo' in google and you'll see why people are leaving. I've mentioned before I worked in a Palestinian refugee campand spent many years campaigning on my return. Since having my little boy I don't do as much as I used to do because I just don't have the time. But I still have the passion and the urge to help in anyway I can. I hope you do too.

A few parenting bloggers coordinated the #SaveSyriasChildrencampaign in collaboration with Save the Children and I am so proud of them and anyone else who spreads the word. The image of innocent children dying around the world is not rare unfortunately. The UN estimate 10,000 Syrian children have died during the civil war, with an overall death toll of 220,000. Millions have fled the conflict looking for a better life and it's so sad that poor little Aylan and his family didn't make it. These are people like you and me. It could have been me. It could have been you.

Hello! I'm Polly (Brighton Mama on Twitter). I write about family travel, lifestyle and adventures with my little four year old son, 'Pip' ❤ We live in the mostly sunny seaside town of Brighton, UK. Read more on my About Page.